The Tensions that Nearly Broke the Stockholm Process. The Role of the Netherlands during the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

Abstract

This thesis lays out how the Netherlands contributed to the early development of Global Environmental Governance during the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. At this conference the Netherlands employed scientists as diplomats, advocated for the coupling of environment and development, and bolstered the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme. The actions of the Netherlands were fundamentally shaped by its domestic environmental movement, tensions within the Dutch government, and the global political dynamics of the time. The Netherlands strived for the success of the Stockholm Conference, but did not play a leading role in it. Most often, the Dutch looked toward other actors for leadership, such as Sweden, the United States, and the Secretary-General of the Conference, Maurice Strong. Still, the country was one of the central Western actors of the Stockholm Conference and that conference’s preparatory period. The Dutch case shows how crucial that preparatory phase can be for small countries to contribute to the success of United Nations environmental conferences. This thesis therefore does not regard the Stockholm Conference as a singular event, but as a larger process taking place between 1968 and 1972.